Weather on par
Tempting though it is to say that we are living in abnormal weather, we’re not. While the Grahamstown region had a dry January, this is not unusual, and a post-Christmas dry spell is often experienced.
Weather on par
Tempting though it is to say that we are living in abnormal weather, we’re not. While the Grahamstown region had a dry January, this is not unusual, and a post-Christmas dry spell is often experienced.
February produced frequent light showers; a total of 126mm of rain fell at Rivendell in Howison’s Poort, and 95.5mm at Grant Street in town, clearly showing the variation.
The town’s rainfall was in fact higher than the 40-year mean, which is 63.4mm for the month. What everyone does agree on is that this summer has been one of the hottest and most humid for many years. For more info: www.grocotts.co.za/blogs/grahamstown-rainfall.
2014 Makana Green Fun Run
This annual event, under the auspices of the RU Environmental Committee, is a fun run or walk with a serious aim: promoting sustainability in the town and on campus. It takes place in two days’ time, on Sunday, 16 March, starting at 4.30pm at the Drostdy Arch.
Whether you walk or run – or just relax on the Drostdy Lawns – it will be lots of fun. Food and drink, T-shirts, books, plants, and health products will be on sale, and with an Ubom! performance and RMR music, there should be a great vibe.
Stallholders are welcome – please contact Rhodes Environmental Officer, Nikki Köhly, at the address below, if you are interested. There is no fee, you just need to promote sustainability and support an environmental cause in some way. In brief, relevant details are:
•Individual or team
•R10 donation (minimum) per participant
•2.3km walk or 6.4 km run
•4.30pm start at the Drostdy Arch & Lawns, corner Somerset & High Streets
•Early registration encouraged
•Participants are encouraged to dress up in outfits symbolising environmental sustainability
•Join in the fun – as participant, helper or spectator
For more information, including the route, pamphlet and entry forms go to www.ru.ac.za/environment/funrun or visit Facebook: “Makana Green Fun Run – 16 March” or Tweet: https://twitter.com/ #GreenFunRun.
Grahamstown’s Wind Energy project
Many are wondering what has happened to the wind energy project proposed for Grahamstown.
The project, under the auspices of French energy company Innowind, is still very much on track. However, there is a long lead time required for projects of this magnitude.
Eskom, which will buy the electricity, is still at the stage of processing the necessary documentation and purchase agreements.
As it stands, the actual construction of the concrete foundations for the eight 3MW turbine towers is planned for June this year. These foundations have to harden for three months before further work can take place.
We can expect to see the towers being erected by March next year, with physical construction completed by June 2015.
The first power will be delivered to the grid by December that year.
Once complete, the total 24MW produced should be adequate to isolate the city from any of the planned load-shedding threatened by Eskom.
Whether this will make any difference to the city’s recent spate of power-cuts, however, depends on the competence, or otherwise, of our city ‘fathers’ in getting the local infrastructure in order.
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News:
Nikki Köhly: n.kohly@ru.ac.za, 046 603 7205 / Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 / Nick Hamer: n.hamer@ru.ac.za, 084 722 3458 / Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 082 575 9781 / Philip Machanick: p.machanick@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8635 / Strato Copteros:strato@iafrica.com, 082 785 6403
